Dexter Gates
APPEARANCE Sir Dexter Gates stands at 5'10 equipped with fierce plate armor awarded to him for his success in the Pandaria campaign, and a mighty red two-handed sword upon his back. With this armor he wears a flame tabard of unknown origin that he inherited after his uncle Meltros' death. Commander Gates also inherits his father's striking blue eyes, though they are often shielded behind his thick, messy auburn hair due to his constant training and lack of time to keep himself neat. Despite the warrior's rugged looks, he knows how to make himself presentable when the situation calls for it. Over the years Dexter has gradually improved his physical form. He continues to grow in strength so he can crush his enemies as well as protect the ones he holds dear. CHARACTER A driven, passionate, and reckless individual. Sir Dexter Gates was once a mere hot-headed youth, only to morph into something far beyond that. Commander Gates has developed a bit of an obsession with wiping out the Horde, primarily the orcs who were responsible for the deaths of many loved ones. His obsession has caused him to become quite the aggressive fighter and leader. But little does he know this can also be a weakness. His obsession, however, hasn't completely taken over. There still remains a glimpse of his old self, but his responsibilities as a Commander have also hidden his true self. Until his final goal is met, we may not see the true Dexter Gates for quite some time. HISTORY Dexter was born in Lakeshire. He grew up with his parents, Arthur and Lauren. In his father's possession was a strange, mysterious blade. When Dexter was little, his father told him he didn't like to use it much because he claimed the sword would faintly whisper the names of those he was about to kill when it sliced through the air, but only on a full moon. Then he would rant on about how it could have been the sound of the wind against the blade when swinging. But still, his father looked unsettled whenever he layed eyes on it, and eventually Dexter did too. Though, his father was always intrigued by myths. The tale of the sword itself is likely false. His father never told him how it came into his possession. It possessed no name to Dexter's knowledge, so instead he started calling it "Father's Sword." Arthur always encouraged Dexter to become stronger through pure strength. He would tell him, "only the strongest can defeat their enemies without the help of sorcery." And especially when he was little he would call Dexter his "little Titan." The nickname his father gave him eventually sparked an interest in the Titans themselves. He often uses them as motivation to this day, wishing to compare his strength to their own someday. While Dexter was around the age of 9, his father was killed in the Battle for Mount Hyjal. Rumors had it Arthur had burned alive while attempting to save a comrade from a great fire. Fire would often haunt Dexter's nightmares for years to come. If the Burning Legion ever returned, he swore to join the Alliance in the fight, just like his father had. Arthur's close friend, Clarth Bateson, promised to look after Dexter alongside Arthur's brother, Meltros. The sword Arthur kept was then passed on to Meltros, as stated in his will. Instead of hiding it like Arthur did, Meltros decided to wield it in battle out of interest in the sword's myth. He could not confirm the silly myth involving a full moon, but his mood did alter somewhat when wielding it. THE CULT Years later, the sword was stolen from Meltros' quarters over night. After a meeting with Clarth, Meltros agreed to let his brother's closest friend look for the sword. Meltros himself could not look for it due to a mission he had to leave for the next day. Once Dexter found out, he demanded that Clarth took him along. After many arguments, Clarth agreed to let the 14 year old aspiring soldier to accompany him. After searching most of the southern part of the Eastern Kingdoms, the two found the thief and the sword he stole. After a fierce fight, the enemy was slain, and the two retrieved Father's Sword, along with suspicious letters and documents being carried by the thief. Upon returning to Stormwind, Clarth looked over the letters, suggesting the thief was a member of a cult that worshiped the Old Gods. The maps found in his pockets showed the locations of their camps. During the exchanging of letters between Meltros and Clarth, the two decided that action should be taken against this cult. They were a small group, but scattered across Azeroth. Meltros stated in his letters that if left unchecked they could become dangerous. Meltros then ordered Clarth to take a handful of capable soldiers and put an end to their camps scattered across both the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor. What started off as a mission to retrieve a mysterious sword evolved into a year long quest to exterminate a cult that worshiped the Old Gods. Figuring it was safe to do so, Clarth left the sword in his own quarters until Meltros returned. Clarth once again agreed to let Dexter accompany him, but as his squire. While on their journey they met more and more people who had items stolen by the small cult that finally revealed their name as the Whisper Seekers. It took the group close to one year to find and clear out all of the camps. After the journey, the group returned to Stormwind, where Clarth gave Dexter Father's Sword, telling him to hold onto it until Meltros returned. Upon his arrival in his home, Redridge, Dexter learned that his mother, a field medic of the Alliance, had been taken prisoner after their camp was attacked by the rampaging Horde. After stealing a gryphon, and blindly setting out on his own to rescue Lauren Gates with Father's Sword in hand, Dexter arrived at the Horde camp. His arrival was too late, though. The orcs had already executed the prisoners, his mother included. In a blind rage, the young warrior emerged and began to assault the base on his own with a drawn Father's Sword. He drew the attention of what appeared to be an ambush for something, and was quickly overrun. Before Dexter could be struck down, his uncle Meltros emerged with his squad of Alliance soldiers and cut down the orcs in his path. Capturing Lauren Gates was merely a way to draw Commander Meltros Gates into the ambush, which Dexter scattered with his unintentional distraction. After the blood bath, Meltros rode up to the grief stricken Dexter and reclaimed the sword that was inherited to him. After that day, a more angry than usual Meltros took Dexter under his wing and began to train him instead of Clarth. He called it "proper warrior training." Meltros' training sessions involved severe beat downs and planting hateful thoughts towards the orcs in Dexter's head, thoughts like "they killed your mother" and "the savages shouldn't even be on this planet." Despite Clarth's efforts to teach Dexter patience when fighting, the young warrior often found himself being consumed by rage in battle. He vowed to exterminate the Horde one day, no matter the cost. The nickname "the green virus" was given to the orcs by Dexter. Clarth, as well as Dexter's former comrades from their year long journey, warned him that his hatred could lead to something grim down the line. The hot-headed warrior would pay them no mind and continue his constant training. The more he trained with his uncle Meltros, the more fierce and hateful he became. OUTLAND At the age of 16, Dexter squired for Clarth during the Siege in Outland. They were mostly stationed at Honor Hold in Hellfire Peninsula. During this time, Clarth attempted to confront Dexter about Meltros' training style. He always detested fighting with such aggressiveness and recklessness since it could lead to serious injury, or even death. Clarth had always taught Dexter to fight with a clear mind and level head, and always assess the situation to avoid mistakes. Dexter was having none of it. Young Gates claimed that patience didn't save his father or his mother. Infuriated with Dexter's childish arguments, Clarth officially dismissed him from his training, and would no longer let him be his squire after the Outland campaign. Eventually Clarth's squad came across a Legion camp, but the Alliance team was found out after failing to subtly sneak away to gain reinforcements. Only Clarth and Dexter managed to escape, but Clarth was grievously wounded. After returning to Honor Hold, Dexter lead the Alliance forces back to the Legion camp, where they exterminated the demons. It was through this demonstration of strength that Dexter was recommended to become an official soldier of the Alliance. The wound that Clarth suffered would hinder him for life. But he pointed Dexter, the aspiring knight, in the direction of Lord Luther Maxwell. It was Clarth's last hope to make a true soldier out of his friend's son. The Lord could not only train him, but knight Dexter when it was time. It was Dexter's dream to be knighted someday, and with reluctance, he took Clarth's advice. Once he was 18, he could become a soldier and work to become a knight. BECOMING A SOLDIER After another two years of training with his uncle, the time had come for Dexter to become an Alliance soldier upon turning 18. His plans to seek out Lord Maxwell came to a halt when he received a call to arms to aid the Alliance Vanguard in Northrend. His journey to Northrend offered plenty of opportunities to grow in strength, and prove himself to the Alliance. Dexter found himself mostly stationed in Dragonblight, where he was awed by the Path of the Titans. He took advantage of being called to the battle for the Isle of Conquest to decapitate any Horde he came across. During this battle, he reunited with Lila Gray, a former companion on his journey to exterminate the Whisper Seekers. She was gifted with the arcane, and had become a battle mage for the Alliance. She later joined his unit upon their return to Dragonblight to aid the fight against the Scourge. Dexter and Lila eventually became attracted to one another, and formed a great bond while carrying out their duties. Lila eventually received word that her mother, back in the Eastern Kingdoms, was taken prisoner by the Forsaken, and was likely to be used as a lab rat for their experiments. Sympathizing with Lila, Dexter promised her they would rescue her. He might not have been able to save his mother, but he would try to save the mother of his beloved upon their return. After the Fall of the Lich King, Dexter and his unit cleaned up in Northrend. Now that the fighting had come to an end in Northrend, it was time to pay a visit to Lord Maxwell. Upon his arrival at Stormwind, Dexter received a letter from Maxwell, stating that Clarth Bateson had recommended him, and that when he was to return from Northrend, he could report to him. Maxwell saw potential in young Gates, and would train the boy himself to make sure he was ready to become a knight in the future. KNIGHT AND EXECUTIONER At the age of 21, after his service in the Alliance and training under Lord Maxwell, he was finally knighted and had officially joined his order of knights under the Lord's command. Dexter also turned his focus back on the Horde as he rode into battle under the banner of the Alliance, as well as the banner of House Maxwell. He and Lila also began their search to find where Lila's mother was being held. Dexter climbed the ranks of the Alliance with great haste as orcs and other enemies fell before him. One encounter, however, resulted in Lord Maxwell himself being hit with a fatal wound. After a slow death, the order fell apart after the acting leader panicked and fled the battle. No longer acting under House Maxwell, Dexter teamed up with his uncle Meltros to find the deserter and bring him to justice. As Commander Meltros' unit finally caught up with him, Meltros saw it fit that Dexter carried out the execution, having betrayed Maxwell's Order of knights that Dexter was a part of. After some hesitation, Dexter finally separated the deserter's head from his body. Dexter had also gained the nickname "Dextros" from Meltros' unit, for his fighting style being very identical to Meltros'. "Death comes sooner for traitors," Meltros told Dexter. The words would echo in his dreams for years to come. For the longest time, whenever Dexter was with his uncle, he made him carry out most of his executions, saying it would be good for him. Dexter's swings evolved from hesitant and taking a couple swings to fully cut the head off, to a focused clean swing every time. Executing traitors became a routine of Dexter's whenever he was around his uncle. And to Meltros' amusement, it was changing his nephew. After Deathwing had shattered Azeroth, Dexter rallied with the other soldiers to aid the areas affected by Deathwing's destruction. Aiding the cause in Mount Hyjal was an emotional experience for him, being the place where his father had fallen in battle against the Burning Legion years ago. Being exposed to Deathwing's fires all around the area eventually helped him conquer his fear of fire. To symbolize this, Dexter had Lila enchant his weapon with a flame enchant, which became a tradition of his whenever he obtained a new weapon. Amidst Deathwing's destruction across the land, a small Forsaken army was inching closer to the unit Dexter and Lila were assigned to. During the nights, Dexter caught Lila sending mysterious letters to an unknown receiver. Eventually the small Forsaken army caught up with them. After a close victory, Dexter heard one of the dying Forsaken mutter something about 'not even letting their contact live.' Dexter suspected the worst as he joined up with Meltros to take out the camp that the small army came from. Upon their arrival, Dexter's theory was proven to be true when he found letters from Lila inside the camp. The young woman was acting as a contact and exchanging information about their location in exchange for her mother to be released. Dexter knew full well the Forsaken would never actually let her live, but Lila was probably lost and desperate to get her mother back. Dexter didn't even have time to debate what to do with the letters before Meltros approached them. Their arrival at Stormwind went straight to Lila's home, where she was seized, put on trial, and later ordered to be executed. On the morning of her death, Meltros handed Dexter his claymore and ordered him to carry out the execution, just like the many others before. "Death comes sooner for traitors," Meltros had always said. But this one was far different. Despite his feelings for Lila, and her cries for mercy and forgiveness, Dexter obeyed the order and executed his beloved with a swift, clean swing. The internal wound left by this event would scar him for life. But at that moment, Meltros had promoted his nephew to Lieutenant Commander, and was to serve under him. In his eyes, his nephew was ready. Dexter took his promotion with bitterness. Before he turned away from his loved one's corpse, he noticed his uncle was carrying Father's Sword at his side, despite all the information that it might have a connection to the Old Gods. Dexter made note to investigate this after he had recovered. THE NINTH ECHELON AND THE ORDER OF EVERSTILL After the Hour of Twilight was prevented, Dexter's unit, which served under Meltros, helped clean up Deathwing's remaining destruction and remaining Twilight Cultists. It wasn't long after this that Theramore had fallen at the hands of the Mana Bomb, ordered to be carried out by Garrosh Hellscream. Upon the discovery of Pandaria, war broke out. Now serving as his uncle's Lieutenant, the two and their unit traveled to Pandaria to aid the Alliance forces against Garrosh's Horde. During the Pandaria campaign, Dexter applied to the Ninth Echelon where he made many comrades. The group of knights was lead by a noble paladin named Cathael. After a time, the group disbanded, but former comrade of Dexter's, Alexander Verdun, formed a new group of knights that served the Church of the Holy light. With most of the founding members from Redridge, the group of knights was named The Order of Everstill, named after the lake in the Redridge Mountains. The group of knights followed Alexander Verdun and served the church, Stormwind, and the Alliance while demonstrating great valor and justice. It was there that Dexter found a home, and fellow knights to call true friends. THE MURDERER REVEALED Confronting his uncle about Father's Sword was no easy task. He often saw his uncle's mood change when wielding the sword. Garrosh's reach for power seemed to reflect in Dexter's uncle, and at that moment he knew something had to be done. During a confrontation about the sword, Meltros accidentally revealed to Dexter that it was he who killed Arthur Gates during the Battle of Mount Hyjal, his own brother and Dexter's father. It was indeed the sword he wanted, and more. Meltros had loved Lauren, Dexter's mother. His jealousy became insanity when he first laid eyes on the sword. It was almost as if it was telling him to do it, Meltros revealed. And nobody would be able to tell if it were during the battle. Enraged, Dexter engaged in a savage duel with his uncle, ignoring all rules of honorable combat. Upon disarming his uncle, he made him confess to his squad with a sword to his neck. After Meltros' confession, he was held prisoner until a proper sentence was carried out by a Marshal. During Meltros' time as a prisoner, he taunted Dexter, hinting that he was shaping him to become a monster all along. Since he didn't get Lauren in the end, it was his way of getting revenge on Dexter's deceased parents. When the time came to serve justice, Dexter swung the blade. And just like the others including Lila, and now Uncle Meltros, Dexter made sure his uncle knew that death came sooner for traitors. CLEANING UP IN PANDARIA After the execution of his uncle, Dexter was field promoted to Commander. Though, he did not use Father's Sword. He kept it hidden due to his own suspicions, and to hide it from the elven rogue who attempted to assassinate the new Commander. The Horde force that sent the elf known as Dextrion to assassinate him was now the prime target of Dexter. The soldiers Dexter was in charge of had severe doubt in their fresh Commander, having been loyal followers of Meltros. Weeks later, a fierce battle erupted between the two forces. Commander Dexter Gates lead the Alliance soldiers against Champion Ryff Thorngrip's army of Horde soldiers. Rage nearly consumed the new Commander Gates, being desperate to find the blood elven rogue who attempted to kill him and take Father's Sword. Despite his uncle confessing to murdering his father, his fighting style and techniques stuck with him. It was a glorious victory, but the elven rogue's corpse was not among the many corpses of fallen Horde. Dexter then finished his uncle's work in Pandaria with great success upon the defeat of Garrosh back in Orgrimmar. His unit helped clear out remaining mantid enemies and other foes after the temporary truce King Varian declared with the Horde. Dexter knew it wouldn't last. He would have his chance at the orcs once again. Due to his success in Pandaria, he was awarded with a special suit of armor. He wore the savage armor along with his uncle's mysterious flame tabard. Along with Sir Dextros, the Commander was given the nickname "Furnace of the Alliance" when seen on the battle field with this new armor. Commander Gates began his research on the elf assassin known as Dextrion. He soon discovered that Dextrion's real name was Raedrier Niveus, and that he had committed terrible crimes against the Alliance, and also the Horde. It soon dawned upon Gates that the name "Dextrion" was from an old storybook where the character became so cold blooded, a witch froze him and his cold heart forever. Dexter concluded the elf must have simply been fascinated by the story, and had no special intention or meaning. Dexter didn't know what the elf had planned with Father's Sword and possibly the Old Gods, but he vowed to someday give him the sword, only through the heart. AFTER DRAENOR Commander Gates led a squad of noble Alliance soldiers through the war polluted lands of Ashran. His Lieutenant Lucy Fields, Rudin Stonecloud, and Glenn Rainard became close friends of his. After a successful campaign of proving himself as a leader, the priest Rainard was captured by Dextrion. Rainard was one of Dexter's most loyal companions and could not be left for dead. It was clear Dextrion was going to make Gates come to him, rather than the traditional method. A meeting with Dextrion's father, Mal'ear, was scheduled. After a long, stressful encounter, the High Elf agreed to offer information on the possible whereabouts of his son. It was clear that Dextrion was after Father's Sword, rumored to be possessed by the Old Gods. Mal'ear advised to assume the worst and not to let Dextrion get his hands on the sword. Not long after the agreement, Mal'ear died due to his favorite wine being poisoned by none other than his own son. The Commander set off on his own to confront five Silvermoon Ambassadors and forge a temporary truce to stop the menace that was a threat to both the Alliance and Silvermoon. It was a secret meeting, and a reckless one at that. His squad had become precious to him, and he didn't want to lose them in case negotiations went wrong. If negotiations went well, Dexter's squad and a Silvermoon team would work together to end the thug leader. Upon arriving at the meeting place, Dexter discovered the slaughtered corpses of the ambassadors. Dextrion had gotten to them first. Dexter's squad, worried for their Commander, recklessly disobeyed their commands and arrived at the meeting point uninvited. A violent clash between Gates' squad and Dextrion's thugs erupted and echoed through Eversong Woods. During this battle, Father's Sword was shattered by an enraged Gates who had enough of Dextrion's vicious pursuit. Dextrion vowed to kill Commander Gates for ruining his plans, and "cutting off the voices." After the bloody massacre, Dextrion fled when Silvermoon guards arrived at the scene. They found a lone Dexter Gates, mourning the loss of Lucy, Rudin, and the rest of his squad. In order to put a stop to the violence caused by Dextrion and his obsession with the Old Gods, Silvermoon agreed to a temporary truce to infiltrate Dextrion's main hideout. It was later revealed through investigation that Dextrion had organized a cult that worshiped the Old Gods and was holding a gathering at their main base in Winterspring. The group of elves and humans stormed the hideout and put the wicked cultist souls to rest. Gates, however, awaited his main target outside the secret exit from the mountain he discovered during his crusade with Clarth Bateson when he was only fourteen. After his prediction that Dextrion would escape through it, he plunged the shattered hilt of Father's Sword into the heart of Dextrion. What was supposed to be Dextrion's escape boat turned into his final resting place as Commander Gates sent the body out into the cold sea north of Winterspring, just beyond the mountains from where the now cleansed hideout was located. A NEW RIVALRY With the death of Dextrion confirmed, Commander Gates also made a new enemy. A meeting with Dextrion's wife, Pyreen, nearly turned violent after revealing her husband was dead. Despite revealing her husband was secretly the leader of a cult, relations with Pyreen and her guild were sure to turn sour in the future due whether or not Dextrion was truly possessed by the Old Gods in the end or not. A claim surfaced that it was Dextrion's plan to gather the remaining cult members and anticipate a raid on their hideout, but Gates didn't have time for conspiracies. It was likely he and Pyreen would meet again, but not under friendly circumstances. THE LEGION RETURNS, THE COMMANDER GOES MISSING As Commander Dexter Gates went back to his work with his fellow knights of the Order of Everstill, a new war broke out. As the Burning Legion returned, Dexter and his fellow knights rushed to defend the lands they held dear. From Westfall to Dun Morogh, the Eastern Kingdoms was under siege from this ancient foe. Even Kalimdor was under fire, and the knights answered the call to defend enemy territories, refusing to let the enemy advance in the slightest. Dexter had to resist the urge to strike against the orcs when defending Azeroth. If the Legion won, he wouldn't have the chance to exterminate the Horde himself. When the Legion landed on the Broken Isles, Dexter knew it was time. At this moment he had nothing but his fellow knights of Everstill to defend. With that in his mind and heart, he charged into the green abyss. Commander Dexter Gates has not been seen since. No body has been found. The Commander is currently listed as MIA. Category:Characters Category:Human Category:Stormwind Human Category:Soldiers Category:Knights Category:Warriors Category:Alliance Officers Category:Order of Everstill Category:Military Officers